Pets
can help people feel better. But pets trained in animal-assisted
therapy can actually help during recovery for patients who have cancer
or other serious illnesses. The goal of animal-assisted therapy is to
help therapists improve patients’ physical, social, emotional, and
cognitive function.
What is animal-assisted therapy?

Many programs provide animal-assisted therapy to help patients recover
functions that have been affected by a serious illness or its
treatment. For example, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center, doctors can prescribe animal-assisted therapy through the
Welcoming Animals Giving Support (WAGS) program.

Each Saturday, six to eight volunteer handlers bring their dogs to MD
Anderson to participate in WAGS, which celebrates its 10th anniversary
this year. The dogs and handlers have gone through an extensive
training program sponsored by Caring Critters, a nonprofit
animal-assisted therapy group.

Current dog volunteers include golden retrievers, German shepherds, fox
terriers, poodles, and dachshunds. Each dog serves a special function
in helping patients achieve their physical therapy goals. For example,
patients who need to work on standing for long periods of time might
groom or pet a small dog on a table. Small dogs also can curl up in
patients’ laps to help them work on their sensory or fine motor skills
through petting. Other patients who are working on balance might walk
with a large dog on a leash. Large dogs also can help patients develop
coordination by playing fetch and other games.

Benefits

In addition to helping patients achieve specific therapeutic goals, the
dogs help patients emotionally and socially. Marifel Malacara, P.T.,
D.P.T., a physical therapy supervisor in the Department of
Rehabilitation Services, said, “There was one little boy who did not
want to get out of bed or participate in physical therapy. He would cry
every time we tried to get him up. When he saw the dog, though, he got
very excited and energetic. The transformation in his attitude was
amazing.”

The dogs can make the hospital environment seem more like home and help
remind patients about life outside of the hospital. The dogs also
encourage and motivate patients to get better so that the patients can
return home and see their own pets.

Research has shown that dogs can have positive physiological effects on
humans. One study showed that levels of beta-endorphin, oxytocin, and
dopamine—chemicals that promote a sense of well-being and help reduce
stress and anxiety—increase in both humans and dogs after a positive
interaction. These interactions also lower people’s levels of cortisol,
which is sometimes called the “stress hormone” because it is released
as a response to anxiety or stress.

Other studies have been published on patients’ pain levels after
interacting with pets. One study found that patients who sat quietly
for 20 minutes reported four times more pain than did patients who
interacted with an animal for the same amount of time. Because animals
can help reduce pain, many centers that offer animal-assisted therapy
use animals to distract and comfort children who are undergoing medical
procedures.

The National Institutes of Health established a research fund in 2008
to further explore the science behind human-animal interaction.

Contraindications

Animal-assisted therapy is not for all patients, however. Patients with
allergies, low white blood cell counts, infection control issues, or
psychiatric disorders are not candidates for animal-assisted therapy.

The dogs themselves do not contribute to infection risk. WAGS, like
most animal-assisted therapy programs, requires dogs to be screened by
a veterinarian before they can participate in the program. Also,
several studies have shown that animals do not increase infection rates
in hospitals. A study of 2,381 dog visits to 1,690 patients at
Huntington Memorial Hospital in California found no increase in
zoonotic (spread from animals to humans) infections over a 5-year
period.

Dr. Malacara believes that the benefits far outweigh the risks of
animal-assisted therapy. “Animal-assisted therapy is a collaborative,
positive program—especially for cancer patients. They benefit
physically, mentally, and emotionally,” she said. “The change in the
patients after interacting with the dogs is remarkable. Our patients
really look forward to their Saturday sessions.”